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The effectiveness of amine-borane as reducing agent for the synthesis of iron nanoparticles has been investigated. Large (2-4 nm) Fe nanoparticles were obtained from [Fe{N(SiMe3)2}2]. Inclusion of boron in the nanoparticles is clearly evidenced by extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and Mössbauer spectrometry. Furthermore, the reactivity of amine-borane and amino-borane complexes in the presence of pure Fe nanoparticles has been investigated. Dihydrogen evolution was observed in both cases, which suggests the potential of Fe nanoparticles to promote the release of dihydrogen from amine-borane and amino-borane moieties., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

We investigate the formation of bi-metallic particles in the Fe-Bi system, well known as totally immiscible in the bulk, using a large combination of structural and element-sensitive techniques, well-adapted to the nanoscale. The synthesis approach makes use of the kinetics of decomposition of the different precursors to achieve a controlled sequential growth of the different elements. Different ligands have also been used in order to limit the size and ensure dispersion of the synthesized particles. Our results give evidence for the presence of body-centered cubic ferromagnetic iron nanograins together with larger bismuth crystallites. Interestingly, while the iron particles remain very small, the resistance to oxidation of the Fe-Bi nanocomposites highly depends on the stabilizing ligand used in the synthesis. The presence of both metals, Fe and Bi, in a single cluster has been clearly revealed in the oxidation resistant composite synthesized using the HMDS ligand.

Polytetrahedral NiFe nanoparticles with diameters of (2.8+/-0.3) nm have been obtained by hydrogenation of Ni[(COD)(2)] (COD=1,5-cyclooctadiene) and Fe[{N(SiMe(3))(2)}(2)] at 150 degrees C using stearic acid and hexadecylamine as stabilizing ligands. The nanoparticles are superparamagnetic at room temperature and display a blocking temperature of 17.6 K. Their anisotropy (2.7x10(5)J m(-3)) is determined to be more than two orders of magnitude higher than that of the bulk NiFe alloy (10(3)J m(-3)) and is close to that determined for Fe nanoparticles of the same size. Still, they display a magnetization of (1.69+/-0.05) mu(B) per metallic atom, identical to that of the bulk NiFe alloy. Combining the results from X-ray absorption and Mössbauer studies, we evidence a progressive enrichment in iron atoms from the core to the surface of the nanoparticles. These results are discussed in relation to both size and chemical effects. They show the main role played by the enriched Fe surface on the magnetic properties and address the feasibility of soft magnetic materials at the nanoscale.

Self-organization of nanoparticles into two- and three-dimensional superlattices on a large scale is required for their implementation into nano- or microelectronic devices. This is achieved, generally after a size-selection process, through spontaneous self-organization on a surface, layer-by-layer deposition or the three-layer technique of oversaturation, but these techniques consider superlattices of limited size. An alternative method developed in our group involves the direct formation in solution of crystalline superlattices, for example of tin nanospheres, iron nanocubes or cobalt nanorods, but these are also of limited size. Here, we report the first direct preparation in solution of multimillimetre-sized three-dimensional compact superlattices of nanoparticles. The 15-nm monodisperse FeCo particles adopt an unusual short-range atomic order that transforms into body-centred-cubic on annealing at 500 degrees C. The latter process produces an air-stable material with magnetic properties suitable for radiofrequency applications.

Abstract: Hydrogenation of bis(ditrimethylsilyl)amido iron complex, [Fe{N(SiMe3)2}2], provides iron nanoparticles (NPs) which have been stabilised either by an organic polymer matrix or mixtures of long chain acid and amine ligands leading respectively to spherical nanoparticles of 1.8nm size or nanocubes with edges of 7.2 or 8.4nm. The 1.8nm size NPs are magnetically independent. Their magnetisation is shown to be identical to that of clusters of the same size prepared and measured in UHV conditions, i.e. strongly increased as compared to bulk value. These NPs have been structurally characterised and display an original structure different from the classical bcc and fcc structures encountered in bulk iron. On the reverse iron nanocubes display a bcc structure and magnetic properties similar to those of bulk iron within experimental errors, in agreement with their larger size. These cubes crystallise into 3D superstructures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]